BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - A senior Chinese official on
Tuesday brushed off calls for a boycott of the Philippines after
an international arbitration court found for Manila in its
dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea.

China angrily rejected the verdict last week by the
Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, describing the case
as illegal and farcical. It has repeatedly said it will not
change its approach or its sovereignty claims in the South China
Sea.

Some Chinese have reacted by calling for boycotts on
products from the Philippines and the United States, which many
in China blame for pushing the case. So far, there has been only
sporadic evidence of these calls being heeded.

Asked if China would take retaliatory trade measures against
the Philippines because of the ruling, China's vice minister of
commerce Gao Yan told reporters that trade relations with Manila
were developing smoothly.

"In recent years, the development of China's trade relations
with the Philippines overall has been smooth and stable. China
is willing to develop mutually beneficial and diverse trade
relations with the Philippines," she said.

"I should say that though some internet users have called
for boycotts on products from the Philippines, in actuality this
situation has not occurred."

Total two-way trade between China and the Philippines rose
5.7 percent in the first six months of the year to $22.3
billion, according to Chinese customs figures.

Calls for boycotts of countries deemed to have offended
China are not uncommon.

Disputes with Japan over the country's painful shared
history and contested ownership of uninhabited islands in the
East China Sea have in recent years bubbled over into
anti-Japanese violence, and destruction of Japanese goods and
restaurants.
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